Speed-controlling device for electric motors.



PATENTED MAR. 19, 1907- I T. w. HEERMANSY. SPEED CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1906.

Jig/6:122? j7zaddawd17 manually-operated controlling-arm and an- THADDEUS w. HEERMANS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

SPEED-CONTROLLING DEVICE FoFi ELECTRIC orons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed November 17, 1906. Serial N0. 343,880.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, THADDEUS W. HEER- MANS, a citizen of the United States, of Ohicago, in the county of, Cook and btate of 1111- nois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speed-Controlling Devices for ElectricMotors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings, and-to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisjspecification. 1

This invent on relates to improvements in speed-controlling. apparatus for electric motors designed to control the speed of the motor from any distance or from a moving platform, such as the car of an elevator, through any number of steps within the range of the regulating-winding of the motor.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide an electricmotor speedcontrolling apparatus which is so constructed and arranged that the speed of the motor and of the part driven thereby may at all times be controlled in closelygraduated steps through the automatic speed-accelerating rheostat] located at the motor, thereby avoiding injury to the motor-windings and preventing abrupt movement of the parts driven by the'moto'r when starting and stopping.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved automatic means for gradually slowing down the elevator-car or other driven part at the terminals of its travel regardless of whether or not the'controller at the controlling-station hasibeen properly set to stop'the car.

Another and important object of the invention is to simplifytherwiring connections between the controller-station and the motor.

My improvements are especially applicable for use in connection with electric engines for driving passenger andother'elevators and is herein shown as appliedto such a use. Said improvements may, however, be applied to motors for driving other movable platforms and thelike.

For a complete disclosure .of my invention I have h'erein shown the same as adapted to the-type of electric elevator-engines and con:

trolling equipment therefor shown-and described in the prior, United States Letters Patent anted April 4, 1899, to myself and Whiche lo, No. 622,430. It will be understood, however, that my improvements are applicable to other forms of elevator-engines, and the invention is not restricted by the disclosure herein except as made the subject of "specific claims.

In the illustrated application of my invention a motor is employed having a strong shunt-field, wherein the field is weakened and the speed of the motor increased by the introductionof the number of steps of resistance desired to produce the various increments of 1 speed within the limits of the motor-winding. it My improved controlling device is characterized by the use of two ,rheostats connected in parallel in the shunt-field or other controlling circuit of the motor, one rheostat located at the motor and operating in connection with the regular automatic starting and accelerating controller and the other located at the controlling-station and operated by the attendant or conductor through a switch having points corresponding in number to the number of speeds required. of the two rheostats thus connected in arallel are so set that when in their initia positions the resistance is cutout or short-circuited and the field is at its greatest strength and passing the maximum current. The parts are so arranged that the movement of the automatic startingrheostat-arm to its final ,or running position will not in itselfremove the short circuit around the resistance,

as such short circuit isstill maintained by the rheostat-arm 1 at r the controlling-station. Moreover, the relation of the rheostats is such that the movement of the controlling rheostatarm will not accelerate the movement of the motor without movement of the auto matic rheostat-arm. The two rheostat-arms are therefore independent, While the rheostatarm at the controlling-station always prede-' termines or introduces any amount of rheostat resistance required, and the automatic rheostat-arm determines only the rapidity of acceleration up to the speed which may be set by the operator, and this speed may be varied at will by him through the controlling rheostat-arm. Inasmuch as the shunt-circuit of the type of motor shown througheither of the parallel rheostats is the sole means of maintaining speed regulation and inasmuch as the rheostat at the controllingstation governs. the various steps and is designed to be set at the various steps arranged, it will be readily seen that only two conducting-wires are required between the'motor and controlling-station., One of these wires may The arms be utilized as the terminal wire for the mag netically-operated reversing-switch which is illustrated in the accompanying diagram and shown in detail in the prior patents above referred to. i

The drawing shows a complete diagra1n-- matic outlay of the several motor and motor" controlling circuits embodying my in en tion.

As shown in said. drawing, A designates the arn1ature, and A. the shunt fil{lCCll oi the main motor.

B designates the'field-coils, and B the armature, of what is hereinafter termed a inotor-magnet, or a magnet designed to make and break the mainenotor circuit and tore verse the motor.

(l and U designate contacts which are bridged to close the main-motor circuit:

through the medium of the switch-arm D designates as a whole an automatic reversingswitch which, together with the inakeand-break switch, is controlled by the motor-magnet. Said automatic reversing switch comprises the stationar' contact-- plates at (Z (1 d disposed concentrically about an axis, and a switch-arm D, swinging on said axis and carrying shoes and (i adapted to bridge between the plates and complete the circuit of the rnain-rnotor armature, will hereinafter he described. The said sw'itcl arms-t) and D, swing about a common axis and are designed to be controlled by the motor-magnet in the 53841118 general manner as illustrated in the prior patent, No. 622,430, hereinahove referred to g G designates as whole the manually-operable controller located at the controllerstation, as in an elevator-car.

H designates as a whole a slow-down device, that is adapted to be operated at the te'.'- niinals of travel of the elevator to slow down the car in case the controller at the con station be not properly operated "for this purpose.

l0 and 11 designate the positive and n tive feed-wires, respectively, the switch 1 with conductors '1 and 13. The main-motor armaturecircuit is completed from conductor 12 through switchterininal C, switch-arm C terminal C, conductor i4, switchqolate d shoe d switchplate 5 conductor 15, armature A, conductor l6, switch-plate d, shoe d switch-plate d, and conductor 17 to the terminal plate of a series of stationary contact-plates J, the other end of which series is connected by return-conductor 13 to the return side of switch ii. The stationary contact-plates are insulated from each other, and the nlates'y' at the end of the series which is connected with the return-wire 13 are short and closely spaced, while the plate 7' is elongated.

K designates a moving arn or contact which wipes over the contacts 3' j. said startin osition.

contacts 7' constitute the terminals of a series of coils lain series with the armature A through conductor 17. ole-id coils may coinprise auxiliary windings arranged in series or other suitaole resistance or a combination of both.

M designates a stationary contact-plate arranged parallel to the series oi plates o and in series with the terminal or the shunt held-circuit and the return side oitne switch I through the conductor 13 and conductor 18. The said contact or arm iii. moves in wiping engagement with tne contact-plate M and the series of plates J and constitutes a return connection between said plates at a time when the arm is advanced beyond its llpon startii'ig the motor the ai-inature-circuit is closed through said coils in, and as the moving contact or arinli advances from its starting to its running position (the latter indicated in dotted lines in the drawing) said arm moves in contact with the contact-oar M and the contacts j, thereby changing the resistance or cutting out the resistance or series of coils L in series with the armature, thus accelerating the speed of the motor. When said moving contact reaches the ad *ance liniit cl its movement, as indicated in dotted lines in the iigure of the dr wing, the coils L are cut out oi the circuit, the circuit lacing coniplctcd through the elongated contact y", the moving contact, d the stationary outset-plate M to the return side of so itc. v

The motornagnet field armature are connected in series through terminals of the controller G and recei re current froinconductor 20, that is connected with terminal (l of the DWtlll-QlDtOf illftliG-ttllildJl'Oitli switch. The seriescircuit of said armature and motor oi the hiotor-niagnet is traced through con ductot. ll to controllenterndnal F. at one side controller Gr, thence through bridging l of the cont ct g of controller-lever to controllerte ritl A, thence through lrire A to nio tor-inagnet armature B, thence through wire it" to controller-contact A, thence throu h bridging contact 9' ol' controller-la yer fl to tern'iinal contact A of the controller,

and thence through "wire 1.0 the negative side scribed are generally the same as the operai stat N. I The said terminal S is connected tion of the like parts shown in the prior United States patent, N 0. 622,430, before referred to, and need not be further. herein described. v

"Referring now to the features of the apparatus herein shown embodying the novel features of my improvements, the same are made as follows: -N designates as a whole the rheostat located at the motor, and O designates, as a whole, the rheostat located at the controlling-station and connected up in parallel with tne motor-rheostat. 'l'he rheostat Ncomprises a plurality of contacts 21 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29, arranged in' such relation to the contact-plate M and the series of plates J as to be wiped by the contact or arm K in its 'movement from its starting to its running position, and vice versa, the said arm conducting the current on the return side of the rheostat to the plate M and thence to the r'eturn side of switch I. The contact-plate 21 of the rheostat N is elongated, while the other contactplates of said rheostat N are short and closely spaced and insulated from each other and the plate 21. The said plates 21 to 29, inclusive, constitute terminals of resistance-coils 30 and are in series with said coils. Resistance-coils of said rheostat N are all short-circuited in the starting position of the motor, but are cut into the shunt fieldcircuit upon the starting of the motor as the arm K sweeps from its starting position to its runnirigposition. The resistance is thus gradually introduced into the shunt-field and v the field weakened, whereby the speed of the motor is increased to produce the various increments of increase within the limits of the motorwin ding. The shorter terminals j of the armature resistance are so disposed relatively to the terminals 22 to 29, inclusive, that the greater part of all the armature resistance is cut out before the resistance is introduced into the field. Thus the acceleration of the motor is effected gradually, due, first, to the strengthening of the armature-circuit as the contact K sweeps over the terminals or contacts j, and, second, to the weakening of the field as the contact sweeps over the terminals or contacts 22 to 29, inclusive.

The controller-rheostat comprises a plural ity of contacts 21, 22*, 23, 24, 25*, 26f, 27 28*,and 29*, that constitute the term1- nals of and are connected in series With the resistance-coils 34. The terminal 21 is con nected by terminal conductor S with the con? tact or terminal 29 of rheostat N, and said latter terminal is connected by conductor 35 with the terminal plate M and thence to the return'side of the switch I. v

S is a terminal at the controller, which is associated with the terminals of coils 34 of rheostat O. and said terminal S is connec'tir'l by conductor T with the terminal 21 of. rhcoseverally with the terminals 21, 22*, 23, 24, 25 26, 27 and 29 of rheostat O by a bridging piece 9", carried by the controllerarm Ur. Two sets of terminals 21 to 29, in-

side of the swinging axis of the controllerarrn G, and said terminals of the two sets are connected by cross-wires, as indicated by the dotted lines. Said coils 34 are therefore in circuit with the shunt and terminal conductors S and T, respectively, when the controller-arm is moved to either side of its central position. I

The current directed tothe shunt-field of the main motor-circuit is divided from that which passes to the armature-circuit at the The shunt field-circuit is completed through conductor 32, field-coils A, conductor 33 to terminal 21 of" the rheostat N at the motor; If it be. assumed that the motor hasjust in its starting position and the controller-arm is on contact 21, the circuit will be completed through said'moving arm, the plate M, to the return side of the switch 1, whereby the field is at its'greatest strength and passing the maximum current. When the arm K of the rheostat N is moved to its'running position, as indicated in .rlotted lines, by the proper mechanism provided therefor, the resistance of the rheostat N'iscut in the shunt field-circuit, and the path which thecurrent tends to take, thereforefis from terminal plate 21, through the coils 30 to t'erm'inal 29, and thence through plate M, to .the return current takes this path depends upon-the position of the controller-arm relative to the ter-' minals of the controller-rheostat Othat is to say, if the controller-arm has not been moved into position to cut in any of the resistance of the coils 34 the current will pass conductor T, controller-terminal S, rheostatterminal 2l -of rheostat O, and thence over conductor S to the return side of-switch H. It will be observed, therefore, that the short circuit around the resistance is maintained when the moving contact of rheostat N is full over in its running position by the controller IlIGOStat-ELIIYIfiIICl that said controller rheostat-arm always predetermines or introcrease the speed of the motor and, conversely, determines the slowing-down speed of the motor by cutting the resistance out of circuit. The function of'the automatic rheostat is that only of determining the rapidity of acceleration of the motor up to the speed which may be set by the operator and which may be varied at will by him through the controller rheostat-arm. It may be oh- 1 served here that the speed of the moving conclusive, are employed, one located on each terminalC of the make-and-breakswitch.

side of switch H. Whether or not any of the from terminalplate 21 of rheostat N over duces any'amount of resistance desired to in-' started and the moving contact or arm K is tact or arm of the rheostat N is comparatively rapid, such speed being automatically controlled. in any suitable manner from thmechanism of the engine-as, for instance, by the means shown in said prior patent, No. BZZAS'Q, hereinbeiore referred to. By reason of the parallel relation of the two rheostats will be observed that movement oi the controlling rheostat-arrn only and without movement of the automatic rheostat arm will not accelerate the speed of the motor. lt, for instance, the controller rheostat arm be moved full over to cut in all the resistance thereof, the resistance oi the rheo stat N remains sl1ort-circuited until the arm 1: sweeps over the terminal plates of the coils 3O oi said rheostat, and during such movement of the arm iii the resistance is cut in gradually, with the result of a gradual .icceh eration of the motor.

it is desirable to provide means for automatically slowing down the motor at the terminals of movement of the part being driven thereby if for any reason the conductor or attendant should fail to properly operate the controller-arm for this purpose. it is for this purpose that the slowing-down and stopping device H is employed. Said device operates to short-circuit the coils of the rheostat N either singly or in groups, thereby operating to gradually reduce the speed of the motor. it comprises a main feed-terminal 37, connected by a conductor '38 with a terminal 29" adiacent thereto and with the ten. minal 29 oi the rheostat N, and other terminals 25", 23", 22, and 21", insulated from the terminals 37 and 2?)" and conncclcd by con ductors 39, -10, il, and 42, respectively, with the terminals 125, 23, 22, and 21 of rhcostat N. Said terminal 37 is shown as circular, and the other terminals are arrangcd in concentric order therearound. The terminals 25", 23",

12')", and 21" are adapted to be brought into electrical connection with the fccd-tcrminal 37 by a bridging piece 43,1novablc in a circular path in constant contact with terminal 37 and adapted for succcssivc contact with the other terminals. The said bridging; piccc may be operated in any suitable manner (not shown) to pass in one direction of its movement in contact with the to .inals and to be restored to its central posnion when out oi contact with the tllllllWLlS. 'lwo scts ol' tcrminals are employed wl ch are connected up by cross-wires, as shown, one designed to oncrate to slow down the car or other moving part at one terminal of its movement whcn the bridging piece or arm is swung to one sidc thereol and the other sct to slow down the car at the other terminal when the bridge piece or arm is swung to the other side ol' its central or neutral position.

in the preceding description of the apparatus shown, to which my invention is applied, specific mention has been made to the tric motors comprising two sets of resistanccs arranged in steps and connected in parallel in the controlling-circuit ol the motor, and

, moans associated with each set and independently operable for cutting in and short-circuiting said resistances for the purpose set forth.

2. A. speed-controlling apparatus for clectrio motors comprising two rheostats connected in parallel in the controlling-circuit oi the motor, the arm of one of which is automatically operated and manually-operablc means for operating the arm of the other rheostat.

3. A speed-controlling apparatus for electric motors comprising two sets of resistances arranged in steps and connected in parallel in the conti' Hing-circuit of the motor, one being located at the motor and the other at a distant controlling-station, means for automatically cutting in and short-circuiting thc setot resistances at the motor, and a manually-operable device for cutting in and shortcircuiiing the controlling-station resistances.

l. A speed-controlling apparatus for clcctric motors comprising two rhcostats connected in parallel in the controlling circuil oi the motor, one located at the motor and thc other at a distant controlling-station, the moving arm oi" thc nioi'or-rhcostat lltlllfi autonmtically operated to accelerate them'otor, and the arm of the controlling-station rhcostat being manually operated.

5. A spcod-controlling apparatus for shuntwound electric motors comprising two rhcostats connected in parallel in the shunt-liclil ol' the motor, the arm oi one of which is automatically opcratcd and imanually-iiperablc means for operating the arm ol the other rhcostat.

(5. in an clcctrio engine for elevators and lhc like, the combination with an clcctric motor, ol mcans lor regulating the spccd ol the motor comprising two rhcoslais, conncctcd in parallel in the controlling-circuit oi' the motor, one located at the motor and adapt-(d to be auloimiiically operated thereby, and the other at the controllcr in the elevalor-car, and means designed to be opcratcil at llic terminal landings of thc cantor succcssivcly shorl-circuiting the coils ol the moior-rhcostat to gradually decrease the spccd ol the motor.

7. The combimrtion with an electric elestation, said motor-magnet circuit being a reversing-switch arranged in the motor-cir-' I stat.

cult, and a motor-magnet for operatmg sal d vator-engine embracing an electricmotor, a completed from the controller through the controller for said motor, a main switch and terminal conductor of the controller rheol In testimony that I claim the foregoing as switches-embracing afield and armature con- 1 my invention I affix my signature, in the nested in series through said controller, of a speed-controlling apparatus comprising: two l November, A. D. 1906.

} THADDEUS W. HEERLLANS.

; Witnesses:

;- W. L. HALL,

GEORGE R. WILKINS.

rheostats connected in parallel in the controllmg-circuit ofthe motor, one located at the motor and the other at the controllingpresence of two Witnesses, this 10th day of 

